5 times people realize Steve and Tony are in love
by BeyondMyReach
Summary: 5 times people realize Steve and Tony are in love (and 1 time it finally hits them on the head). Or alternatively: "The Avengers looked between Steve and Tony, and wondered despairingly how could they /not/ know."


_Many thank to sabrecmc_ for bidding on me for Marvel Trumps Hate and for giving me such a lovely _prompt of "Stony, outsider POV."_ It was super fun to write and you gave me so many suggestions to brainstorm and work on. I hope you like this fill!

 _Huge thanks to N7_Jam_ for being an amazing beta.

So I used phyripo and their awesome guide on ao3 for part 1, which was basically a made-up viral post of Steve and Tony. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite work on FFN because FFN doesn't let me post links or have any kind of formating, much less than show photos. I tried to describe it in words, but it's kinda abymsal, so part 1 isn't much to look at. If you want to see how it should have looked like, feel free to search up this fic on ao3 and you'll see it. Sorry about that!

 **Pairings:** Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, background Pepper Potts/Natasha Romanov

With that said, enjoy!

* * *

5.

Clint woke up to a furious hiss of, "Don't you _ever_ do that again, you hear me, Cap?" and quickly fluttered his eyes close again before they were anything more than an inch apart. That didn't sound like something he would like to get involved in at all.

Keeping his breath even and steady as though he was still asleep, Clint took stock of the situation. Tony was on his right, most likely because it was his rotation among the uninjured Avengers to be on medical bay to watch over the injured part of the team, and surprisingly, from what Tony said, it seemed like this time Steve of all people was his roommate. Natasha or Tony, the other non-enhanced humans of the team, usually had that honor.

 _Tony doesn't sound too amused Steve took that from him_ , Clint thought wryly, before amending, _or rather,_ for _him._

"That blow was meant for me!" Tony continued in that low hiss of his, echoing Clint's thought. He was obviously trying to keep his volume down for poor Clint, who was definitely still knocked out from his ankle all twisted from that fall and who was definitely not eavesdropping like a gossiper with poor taste, thank you very much. His voice fell. "I could have handled it."

 _Oh no_ , Clint thought with dread. Tony sounded _hurt._

Steve obviously heard it too. "Tony," Steve said, the expected insistent stubborn _I am your leader and I have a responsibility to get you all home safe_ tone during this type of argument nowhere in hearing range, replaced by something softer, much softer. It sounded like a plea.

 _Did Steve always sound like that?_ Clint thought, before something occurred to him. _Or is it only because it's Tony._

"You are capable, I know that," Steve said, getting right into the heart of the matter. 'Tasha always did say Tony had the tendency, an unfortunate _habit_ developed as a child, she thought, of thinking he had to prove himself constantly. "I wouldn't let you on the field otherwise, and I trust you with my life. But that blow, had you taken it, would have grounded you for weeks."

"I could have still foug - !"

"That's not the issue here!" Steve exclaimed, only to cut himself off when he recalled where they were. Clint could feel their gaze fall on him in unison, checking to see whether they had woken him, and Clint rolled to his side in his feigned sleep just because with that volume, a sleeping person would have been disturbed a little no matter what, and also because Clint was nosy as fuck. Once their gaze fell away, Clint surreptitiously cracked open an eyelid, just enough to see.

Steve was sitting in the bed next to Clint's, a blanket covering his body, and his face set stubbornly. Tony stood before him, a scowl on his face and equal stubbornness in his eyes. Both of them radiated tension, locked in a standoff.

Steve was the one who was injured, but ridiculously enough, it was Tony who ended up looking more haggard. Then again, it had always been like that, hadn't it? The last time Tony ended up in the medical bay, Steve ended up ridiculously disheveled too.

Actually, both of them were ridiculous, and Clint was sick of them not doing anything worth spying on.

"Alright, alright," Clint said, propping himself up with a wince. Steve and Tony jumped, both of them reaching for a weapon and then getting tangled for a second when they both tried to stand protectively in front of the other. "No one like it when Mommy and Daddy argue - now let's all be adults here and kiss and make up."

Tony scowled. "Fuck off, Barton."

Clint pouted indignantly. "Hey! I'm the injured party here."

"Oh yeah?" Tony blew a kiss at him, and behind him, Steve's face twisted before settling blankly. "Better?"

Clint reached up as though to catch it, then cradled his hands to his chest and fluttered his eyes rapidly at Tony. "I'll treasure it forever," Clint said, in the highest pitch he could make, as playful as he could make it sound.

Tony laughed. "I'll go grab Natasha," he said, turning to go. He paused for a second, then added softly, looking at Steve, "A BLT for you?"

At those words, the tension in Steve's shoulder slowly released. "You know it," he said, a small smile on his face, and Tony nodded with the small quirk of his lips before leaving with a little wave.

Clint looked between them and wondered despairingly how they could _not_ know.

4.

"Pray tell, what, " Loki started, standing in full view at the rooftop of a skyscraper that once rivaled the height of Avengers Tower, and Thor noticed with a wince that he was using his _these people are too dumb to live_ voice, "exactly are they doing?"

Thor obligingly turned to the middle of the street that S.H.I.E.L.D had made their central of command for this battle by means of populating it with black vans and darkly-dressed agents. In front of a cluster of vans were Steve and Tony, both suited up and gesturing angrily at the other as agents streamed past them like river against boulders to take care of the wild beasts that Loki had let loose on Midgard.

There were nearly a dozen of the bushy creatures scattered all over the roads of New York City, each around eighty feet long. All of them were napping, and with every snore they took, the surrounding buildings sunk into the ground a little bit more. Already the buildings looked a little more on the stubby side after losing more than ten stories.

This was getting embarrassing.

"My friends!" Thor bellowed, waving both of his arms at Steve and Tony when it seemed like they weren't going to stop their argument anytime sooner. "My brother Loki, the criminal, is here!"

"Thank you," Loki said dryly, only Thor thought there might actually be some _gratitude_ in his brother's words. Thor almost couldn't believe his ears. "I was beginning to feel slighted by the lack of attention."

"I'm coming right now," Tony said through his Iron Man suit, and a great relief entered Thor's chest that must had also echoed in Loki's, "as soon as Cap would _get his injured ass back into one of those creeper vans._ I'm sorry S.H.I.E.L.D's vans aren't up to par, but you'll just have to deal like everyone else when you _snuck out here against medical advice._ "

"I'm fully healed, Tony!" Steve exclaimed, so exasperated that his voice projected all the way to where Loki and Thor stood. "We're wasting time now, we need to _go._ "

"The doctor said that even you need a full four days of recovery, and how many days had it been since, _Steve_?" Tony said. Thor's shoulders slumped. He had evidently lost their attention yet again, and beside him, Loki heaved out an annoyed breath. "Should have thought of that before you took that blow for me, shouldn't you?"

"I'm glad I took the blow!" Steve exclaimed. Tony reared back in shock, but Steve didn't notice as he continued passionately, "It would have been worse had it hit you, and I'm _glad_ I got there in time."

"Goddamnit, Steve!" Tony's faceplate popped opened and there was such anguish on his face. "I don't like seeing you hurt, especially because of me. Why won't you _understand?_ "

"What makes you think I like it any more?!" Steve exclaimed. Tony stared at him, before he looked away with a cough. "I mean you getting hurt. I don't like seeing you getting hurt either, alright, Tony?" he said beseechingly.

Tony stared at Steve for another moment, before abruptly laughing. "Let's get dinner sometime after this," he said, an olive branch extended, and something like unknowing hope appeared on Steve's face. "We can all find a time that works for us."

Steve's face shuttered for a second, before he smiled and nod at Tony's invitation, brotherhood triumphing conflict.

"Okay, I'm done," Loki said abruptly, and when Thor turned to him, he had throwing knives in his hands. Thor jumped back, on guard, Mjölnir appearing in his hand in a flash. "I came here for some mischief, but it seems like all the Captain and the Iron Man cares for is bickering."

Thor's brows furrowed.

"Goodbye, Brother, until next time," Loki said, a smile on his face. Thor lunged for him, recognizing that smile was nothing good, and then Loki twirled his knives glinting with magic and threw them. They sailed past Thor harmlessly, missing him by more than a foot, and Thor laughed, only Loki's smile never wavered.

Thor twisted around just in time to see the knives slice through chunks of fur and sink into the meat of the creature sleeping on the ground beneath them. There was a pause, then beneath them, the eighty-foot-long creature _roared._ Several of New York City's renown skyscrapers shook and sunk. The one Bruce told him called the Empire State Building looked several floors shorter.

"Loki!" Thor turned back to his brother, summoning his lightning.

"Have fun, Brother mine," Loki said with a laugh, even as a great shadow stood and towered over them. His next words were almost drowned out by the answering roars of the other creatures. "Do let the Captain and the Iron Man know not to bring a lover's quarrel into a fight next time. It does makes them so boorish."

And then Loki was gone.

"What the heck was that?!" Thor heard Tony exclaim, and then, "Shit, watch out!"

Thor whirled around, Mjölnir vibrating in his hand in preparation to defend his friends, and Tony blasted a slab of concrete falling towards Steve. Steve yanked Tony close and raised his shield over their heads, just in time to protect them both from the raining debris. As they checked each other for injuries, worry and concern reflecting back in each other's expression, Loki's words came back into his mind.

 _Bickering,_ he had said, and then, _a lover's quarrel._

 _Oh,_ Thor thought, looking at Tony and Steve rushing towards the fight side by side, moving like a single unit. _Oh._

3.

Natasha and Pepper were in the middle of their date-night, sipping champagne and talking, when Pepper's phone rang. Natasha caught a subtle whiff of Pepper's perfume as she brushed by her to grab her phone without getting up from the couch.

"Hey," Natasha said softly, cradling Pepper's jaw in her hand as she settled back. Pepper turned to her with a small smile, pulse beating steadily beneath her touch. "What happened to a night of relaxing and no work?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

Pepper heaved a fond, exasperated sigh, and raised her still ringing phone so she could see the caller ID.

"Unfortunately, it's Tony," Pepper said with a wry smile. "I'm going to regret not picking up when the tabloid runs some gossip about the trouble he got himself into yet again."

"Oh," Natasha said, sitting back on her haunches. She could feel an amused grin spread across her face and did nothing to stop it. Now it was Pepper's turn to raise an eyebrow. "I bet I know what he's calling you about."

"Oh, now I'm curious," Pepper said, just as the ringing stopped. Both of them stared at the phone in unison, and not even three seconds later, it started ringing again, Tony's name yet again appearing across the screen. "Do I want to know?"

Natasha's grin softened to a smile. "I think a part of you already know," she said. "Go on, answer it. Also," she added as an afterthought, "I recommend blue."

With a fond curious look at Natasha, Pepper swiped her finger across her phone screen, and then Tony's voice filtered through.

"Pepper, Peps, Miss Wonderful Potts, I need some of your brilliant advice," Tony said without further ado. "Do you think the suit I bought last week matches with that tie you ordered for me for that MIT conference, or do you think I should go with that red undershirt with the blue overall?"

Pepper shot Natasha a startled bemused look, and Natasha couldn't stop grinning. 'Fashion advice?' she mouthed at her, pleasant surprise splayed across her face. She brought her phone to her ear when Tony continued talking without even waiting for a reply. The rest of Tony's words were muffled, but Natasha could already predict the general gist of what was being said, so she studied Pepper instead as they talked.

Natasha could tell the exact moment Pepper finally managed to get Tony to explain the circumstance - "Team dinner!" Tony had declared, and Clint and Natasha both procured prior engagements out of thin air, years of training coming in handy. Both of them grabbed Thor and produced an excuse for him too, when he didn't get the hint. When Clint and Natasha explained to Thor that they wanted Steve and Tony to go on a date-like dinner together so they would finally realize their love for each other, Thor boomed, "Indeed, it would not be wise to interrupt them when the Captain and the Man of Iron can take this opportunity to cultivate their flourishing love -" and then Clint and Natasha had to use their training yet again when Steve poked his head in and asked, "Did someone say something?"

Steve and Tony were set to go to dinner tomorrow, a team dinner with everyone scheduled to three days later when Bruce was set to return from Brazil, and hopefully by then, they would actually _be_ together.

Steve had gone down to Natasha's floor on Avengers Tower in a panic the night it was settled that only he and Tony were going to the dinner, unsure if he had anything suitable to wear because "You know how over the top Tony can get," Steve had said, nervous but with a fond smile upon mentioning Tony.

Natasha looked at him and was inclined to agree with Clint's despairing statement of, "How could they _not know_?" that he blurted out in the medical bay the moment Steve and Tony were out of hearing range, but Natasha had seen it weeks before anyone else on the team even noticed, so she only smack Clint on the head - "Ouch! I'm injured here!" "Took you long enough" - and then they began scheming how to make Steve and Tony notice their feelings for each other.

And now the night before the actual dinner, Tony's own anxiety was setting in. Pepper looked entirely too amused when she finally set down her phone, but it didn't immediately ring again, so Natasha guessed Pepper got Tony's outfit decided and his own nerves settled.

"So Steve and Tony, huh," Pepper said, a small smile on her face. "I guess I should have seen that coming. I asked Tony why he was so worried about what he was wearing, he never cared anyway, and he tried to convince me that it was because of the restaurant." Pepper chuckled, bending forward waist-level with its force. Her eyes were bright when she looked up through stray stands of red hair. "Him, who once walked in to an reservation-only French restaurant on the Upper East Side in grease-stained t-shirt and flip flops, and somehow charmed them into serving him." Her laughter muted to a smile as she continued, "Not to mention he somehow managed to squeeze Steve's name into every sentence he spoke during the call."

"Our boys are idiots, aren't they?" Natasha said, brushing Pepper's hair away from her face. Pepper caught her hand and turned her head, gently pressing a kiss to her palm. Natasha's hand tingled.

"Yeah," she said with a laugh. "But let's not worry about them tonight, should we?"

Pepper leaned in, and Natasha followed. "Agreed," she said.

2.

Bruce got back to New York City two days earlier than anticipated, and the first thing he was greeted with were aborting gestures from Clint, Natasha, and Thor, and the last thing he remembered was Tony whirling him to his personal tailors before Bruce found himself sitting at a high-end restaurant in a suit made only hours prior with Tony and Steve across from him. Both of them were dressed in matching blue, their suits complementing each other under the warm light of restaurant and the candles at their table.

Dinner was nice, and they had the opportunity to catch up. Bruce thought the rest of the Avengers were keen on avoiding it because it was at a high-end restaurant and they weren't interested in the hassle, and sure it was a bit uncomfortable being put in a suit, however form-fitting it was made for him, and Bruce wasn't sure which spoon or fork to use for each dish, but it wasn't so bad.

Then dessert came and went, Steve went to the restroom, Tony asked for the check, and Bruce doodled equations on a napkin while he waited. He was glad he went to Brazil, continuing the work he did as a doctor prior to joining the Avengers, and was even glad that Clint, Thor, and Natasha supported him, Tony sponsored him, and Steve stared down at Nick with his disappointed look until he changed his "No way" to a reluctant "Only for a bit." It would be a lie to say that he didn't miss the Avengers and his lab, however, and he was eager to go back and start experimenting with some of the ideas that came into his mind while he was away.

Bruce looked up when his napkin ran out a space, and a glance at the clock told him twenty minutes had already gone by.

"What," Bruce started, looking up, only to pause when he caught sight of Steve back in his seat and Tony talking to him with a broad smile on his face. Tony had removed his outerwear and rolled up his sleeves, gesturing animatedly as he spoke about the new project he was working on. Steve, perhaps self-conscious that he was at a high-end restaurant, hadn't went so far in informality as Tony, but he had unbuttoned his suit and loosened his tie. Bruce hadn't realized Steve was sitting soldier-straight until he was suddenly relaxing, looking more at home.

 _Both of them look so happy,_ Bruce thought. He looked at the smiles they directed at each other, the way they brightened each of their expression and reflected off each other in magnitude, and wondered when this had happened.

Bruce searched through his memory and couldn't remember a time they _hadn't_ looked at each other like that.

"Would you like more tea, sir?" a server came up to him.

Bruce glanced down at his cup and saw the last of his tea was gone. "Yes, thank you," he said, turning to the server. As he did, he realized faintly that they were the only patrons still in the restaurant. "Oh no, what is your closing hour again?"

The server shook his head, a twinkle in his eyes, and pressed a finger to his lips. "There's no need to worry, sir. We're happy to serve" - Bruce wanted to protest, but the server turned to Steve and Tony with a fond smile - "and it's been quite some time since we saw Mr. Stark so animated and happy. I speak for us all when I say we're all willing to stay just a little later so this magic can remain just a bit longer for them both."

Bruce looked at Steve and Tony, so enraptured in their own world and each other that they didn't even notice the conversation going on across from them, and felt the corners of his own lips pull up.

"Is there anything else besides tea I can get for you, sir?" the server asked. One side of his mouth quirked up, giving him an impish look. "I dare say you'll be staying just as long as us, and today is quite a day full of revelation, is it not?"

The server gave Bruce a wink, and Bruce realized with horror that the entire restaurant's staff had witnessed him third-wheeling Steve and Tony the whole night, with Bruce himself none the wiser about it until now.

"I'm good, thank you," Bruce murmured, sinking into his own seat in total mortification, and the server whirled away with a good-humored laugh.

He was definitely not going out with Steve and Tony alone next time. Or possibly, ever.

1.

There was a post on tumblr that went viral. It read, interspersed with photos of Tony Stark kissing various people on the cheeks:

Hello Everyone

Tony

[A gif of Tony Stark spreading his love to everyone]

Stark

[Pepper Potts in a beautiful black dress in mid-laugh as Tony Stark leans in for a smooch on the cheek]

Loves

[Tony Stark's best friend James "Rhodey" Rhodes leaning in with a smile as Tony kisses him on the cheek]

Everyone

[Natasha Romanov grinning broadly as Tony Stark plants a kiss on her cheek]

But

[Tony Stark smooching Captain America at charity photo shoot]

Especially

[Tony Stark leaning up to Captain America to kiss his cheek, both of them smiling]

His

[A gif of Tony Stark cutting into an interview at Comic Con to bring Captain America into a hug and shower him with love]

Super

[Tony Stark pecking Captain America on the cheek]

Husband

[Steve Rogers looking at Tony Stark with a soft expression, both of them smiling. Tony Stark's hand hanging off the back of the couch, a ring visible on his finger, and a necklace around Steve Roger's neck, a speculated ring hanging off of it?]

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk

Tagged with #Superhusbands #Tony Stark #Steve Rogers #They're so in love, it currently had 3,035,204 notes and counting.

+1

JARVIS waited with what could only be called anticipation as Mr. Stark stumbled into the communal kitchen with a yawn. He had, as usual, started the coffee machine when Mr. Stark had stepped into the elevator and when he reached it, JARVIS noted with satisfaction that the freshly made coffee had just finished dripping into his cup.

"Love you too, J," Mr. Stark murmured with his eyes closed, sipping at the coffee and then releasing a great pleased sigh. After another minute of which Mr. Stark repeated the process, he finally opened his eyes to more than a slit. "What's popping today, J?"

"Your attempt to sound young and contemporary is unbecoming, Mr. Stark," JARVIS said, projecting today's latest news holographically just above the kitchen table before Mr. Stark could protest. "You would be glad to hear that Stark Industries' stock has risen once again, Miss Potts has sent you three emails regarding the meeting this afternoon, and Hammer Industries has just announced its entrance into mobile services."

Mr. Stark snorted. "A week after we announced it and you follow. Seriously, Hammer?" he said, as derisive as JARVIS had expected and felt.

JARVIS already knew Mr. Stark wouldn't see this coming.

"Also," JARVIS continued, and here, he was sure his pulse would have quickened if he had one, "people across contemporary social media are hypothesizing that the Captain and yourself are in a relationship and it seemed to have caught on with the media."

JARVIS patiently sent a Roomba as Mr. Stark spewed the last of his perfectly good coffee against the surface of the kitchen table. While waiting for Mr. Stark to recover, JARVIS projected the articles major news outlets had published regarding the 'Superhusbands' and then the related trending posts of twitter, tumblr, facebook, instagram, and even imgur.

" _What?_ " Mr. Stark said, so shocked that he didn't even call JARVIS out for his impeccable timing of revelation as he stared at the news floating before him.

Mr. Stark's eyes shone as he sped through the news, swiping his hand to the side each time he reached the end of one article to go to the next. When Captain Rogers arrived on the floor after his morning run, JARVIS silenced the arriving _ding_ of the elevator, though he doubted Mr. Stark would have noticed even if he didn't.

Captain Rogers stepped off the elevator behind Mr. Stark, his expression brightening when he spotted Mr. Stark in the kitchen. His mouth parted with a greeting, only for him to freeze in place when he spotted the projected content above the kitchen table that Mr. Stark was looking at.

Right now, Mr. Stark was reading a BuzzFeed article titled "Tony Stark and Steve Rogers secretly married? The Avengers moving as a group into Avengers Tower was only a beard?" and beneath it was a fan twitter poll of the same name with an overwhelming 93% votes for yes. The article had many more links which Mr. Stark clicked on, all of them compilation of apparent evidences of 'Superhusbands' or 'Stony', as fans had taken to calling the love of Mr. Stark and Captain Rogers.

There were images of Mr. Stark and Captain Rogers looking at each other, besotted expressions on their faces, videos of post-battles when they ran to each other to confirm the other's safety, analysis of their public appearances and the easy comfortable way they move in each other's spaces.

There was also, of course, many images of Mr. Stark kissing many people, the Avengers, Miss Potts, Captain Rhodes among them, because Mr. Stark was a proponent of _love for all_ and _free expression of love uninhibited by modern standards of masculinity._ The Internet fans made a case that Mr. Stark seemed inclined to kiss Captain Rogers on the cheek fifty percent more than other people combined. And for someone so keen on _free expression of love uninhibited by modern standards of masculinity_ , Mr. Stark was very careful to avoid kissing Captain Rogers on the mouth unlike with other people, almost, the Internet fans speculated, as though afraid of unwittingly giving something away.

And for once, the Internet fans weren't wrong or reading too much into their relationship, if only the two men could just see it. JARVIS wondered would this finally do what all the Avengers had been hoping for and finally allow Mr. Stark and Captain Rogers to recognize their feelings for each other. For someone so smart, Mr. Stark could be strangely obtuse when it came to the matter of feeling and Captain Rogers was unfortunately no better.

Mr. Stark had finally finished running through all the articles and posts speculating on his and Captain Rogers relationship.

"Mr. Stark?" JARVIS prompted when he didn't speak and Captain Rogers likewise didn't move, both still staring at the space where the news once were.

"Geez," Mr. Stark finally said. His voice was steady, but his hand shook when he ran his hand through his sleep-mussed hair, somehow messing it up even more. "Can't two guys be besties without being shipped together? Do we really have to do the 'five feet apart because we're not gay' thing?"

"Were the articles and posts not convincing, sir?" JARVIS asked, already searching through the Internet. "There are more -"

"No, no, no," Mr. Stark said, waving away the news JARVIS pulled up before he could even read it. They all still caught a glimpse of a grainy yet visible photo of Mr. Stark and Captain Rogers at one of Mr. Stark's favorite restaurant this past week, both of them smiling at each other with Doctor Banner sitting across from them. "Jesus Christ, JARVIS, why would you spring this on me so early in the morning?"

"As you are fond of flaunting, Mr. Stark," JARVIS said, definitely not at all gleeful if anyone asked him about it in the future, "love waits for no one."

Mr. Stark slumped down, barely managing to seat himself on the stool without toppling off. Ten feet away, Captain Rogers jerked forward as though to catch Mr. Stark in case he fell. "Love," he murmured.

"Love," JARVIS repeated, pointedly moving a visible camera attached to the ceiling to point in Captain Roger despite JARVIS could see the entire floor just fine without that, but the Captain needed no prompting. He was already moving.

"Love?" Captain Rogers said, crossing the distance to Mr. Stark in a few quick strides, and Mr. Stark startled, slipping right off the stool as he turned. Captain Rogers caught him against his chest. "Are you okay, Tony?"

Mr. Stark jumped back towards the kitchen table as though burned, not that there was much space to maneuver since Captain Rogers had to step right behind Mr. Stark to catch him. For the first time in years, JARVIS had the pleasure of witnessing his creator flush.

"Fine, yeah, totally, peachy, of course," Mr. Stark blundered. Not one of his finest moment, that was for sure, but judging from Captain Rogers' growing smile, it didn't seem like he minded at all. Mr. Stark came back to himself and squinted suspiciously at Captain Rogers. "What are you smiling about?" Mr. Stark demanded.

"You," Captain Rogers admitted, and before Mr. Stark could draw a breath to exclaim his outrage, he continued, "Me. Us." He laughed helplessly, burying his face in his hands and then peeking at Mr. Stark between his fingers with eyes full of amusement. "We're such idiots, Tony. We were so _blind._ Everyone around us saw. Everyone but us."

It took Mr. Stark a second to register Captain Rogers' words. "You saw the news," he said, staring at Captain Rogers' face, "about, about..." Mr. Stark's jaws worked, before saying, "Us." JARVIS recognized that look on Mr. Stark's face, his mind whirling if he had a processor, the moment when he was on the cusp of a realization, a discovery. "How long have you been standing behind me?"

Captain Rogers made a move to speak, hands dropping from his face now, but Mr. Stark didn't wait at all. Across the United States, all systems of Stark Industries that JARVIS was responsible for stuttered as JARVIS watched Captain Rogers and Mr. Stark with the human equivalent of a bated breath.

"Nevermind, that doesn't matter," Mr. Stark said, pushing his way out, and Captain Rogers moved to let him go. "I'm going to sue them for libel, slander, defamation of American icon. I'm going to throw so many lawyers at them that they're going to drown in them," Mr. Stark promised, whirling back towards Captain Rogers, only to hesitate at the look on his face. Captain Rogers' smile was still wide and bright, his expression so fond, and Mr. Stark's expression twisted painfully at the sight.

"What are you looking _at?_ " Mr. Stark exclaimed, sounding halfway driven mad, because he had to have felt it. There was no way Mr. Stark could have failed to understand after receiving the full force of Captain Rogers' helpless adoration, but it was like he didn't dare to make that final leap despite all the evidence presented right in front of him.

"You," Captain Rogers said again, like that had always been the answer. He walked to Mr. Stark, and Mr. Stark trembled softly now as Captain Rogers stopped in front of him. "Who are you suing the news outlet for? You or me?" he asked with a helpless twitch of his lips.

"You, of course!" Mr. Stark cried, covering his face with both hands now. "Why the fuck would I care about what they say?"

Captain Rogers placed his hands on Mr. Stark's arms and gently tugged them away from his face. Mr. Stark let him, and then Captain Rogers pressed his forehead against Mr. Stark's and then his nose against Mr. Stark's nose. "I love you too, Tony," Captain Rogers breathed with a laugh, finally ending JARVIS' misery, and behind them, Agent Barton whooped loudly.

"Fuck yeah! Took you guys long enough!" he exclaimed, as Mr. Stark collapsed against Captain Rogers with a laugh.

"You couldn't have given them their moment, Barton?" Agent Romanoff scolded, hitting Agent Barton on the head. Across the kitchen, Mr. Stark gave the rest of the Avengers the middle finger as he surged up and pulled Captain Rogers down against his mouth.

"Is this the time to excuse ourselves?" Mr. Odinson wondered.

"I'm not third-wheeling again," Doctor Banner declared, already heading towards the elevator. "One time is enough, thank you."

Agent Romanoff, Agent Barton and Mr. Odison followed, and as they did, Agent Romanoff looked up from texting on her phone to right into a hidden camera attached to the ceiling. 'Pepper says, 'Thank you,'' she mouthed. 'She also canceled the afternoon meeting as a congratulation gift.'

JARVIS let the camera tilt downward in a nod, unsurprised that Miss Potts had figured it out and sure that Mr. Stark would be happy to hear so when he was less occupied.

Later that afternoon, the upper management of Stark Industries would report a strange halting of all processes that morning around eleven am, and Mr. Stark would fall off the couch laughing with Captain Rogers looking on fondly beside him as the light of Avengers Tower twitched for a second.


End file.
